Patrons rally behind beloved Twin Cities cafe significantly damaged in fire
A community is rallying behind a beloved cafe that was damaged in a fire in late January.
The Windmill Cafe, a mom-and-pop restaurant in Savage, suffered significant damage to its dining room in a fire on Tuesday, Jan. 25, the restaurant said. No one was injured in the blaze.
The fire forced the restaurant to close until further notice, which has put owners Kari Whetsel and Adam Langfeld, as well as nine full and part-time employees, out of work "for months," a Go Fund Me says.
Whetsel and Langfeld are working with their insurance company to get the restaurant inspected, as well as estimates to clean, repair, and replace everything that was damaged, The Windmill Cafe's website states. They'll share progress made on the restaurant along the way, noting "We'll have a nice, new, clean restaurant for you to visit."
But while customers await their return to enjoy diner-style breakfast or lunch at the cafe, they're showing their support for staff.
The Go Fund Me is raising money to help with lost wages during the closure and any rebuilding that's not covered by insurance. As of Tuesday morning, the page had raised nearly $6,000 of its $200,000 goal.
"This is a devastating loss not just for the people who work at The Windmill, but for the entire community. The Windmill is an old-fashioned diner serving homestyle breakfast & lunch classics since 1972," the page says.
The Savage Fire Department responded to a smoke hazard at The Windmill Cafe at about 4:40 a.m. on Jan. 25, Fire Chief Jeremie Bresnahan told Bring Me The News. Fire crews found a smoldering fire in the dining room area of the cafe.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Bresnahan noted.
